Tech educator draws more girls into computer science classes

HSE Computer Science teacher Julie Alano shows students that computer science can be used by everyone with all interests. She is the MIRA Tech Educator of the Year.
Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar

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Julie Alano works with students in a computer science class at Hamilton Southeastern High School, Thursday, August 10, 2017. She won the MIRA Tech Educator of the Year award for her work promoting computer science. Her goal is to get students interested in computer science and show them how it can apply to whatever field they may be interested in.(Photo: Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar)Buy Photo

Students didn't touch a computer during a recent visit to the Advanced Placement-level class, but they did tackle concepts Alano sees as essential for any technology field: problem-solving, teamwork and creative thinking.

The principles class at Hamilton Southeastern High School is something anyone can take and anyone can learn from. But Alano does have a particular student in mind: girls.

"Hooray, another one!" Alano said after a girl approached her and asked to be transferred into her class. "She heard about it from a friend, so — that's how you get them in."

Now in her 20th year at Hamilton Southeastern High School, Alano was recently named Tech Educator of the Year by the Mira Awards. She has connected with Indiana startup Nextech and computer science teachers across the state and country, which she says helps her to stay motivated and gain fresh ideas.

Her interest in tech started out small. Originally hired as a math teacher, she added an experimental computer science course, which then bloomed into a career, and an expanded curriculum teaching high school students the basics of data and programming.

"This class is to bring out your interests," she said to the last-period class, which was broken into groups and huddled around large posters and markers. "If you have a computer science background, you're going to be able to take it to whatever your interest is."

The students in her recent class sketched out ideas for prototypes that incorporate useful technology: a Bluetooth-equipped life jacket, an iPhone repair website and an autonomous car.

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Julie Alano poses for a photo in her classroom at Hamilton Southeastern High School, Thursday, August 10, 2017. She won the MIRA Tech Educator of the Year award for her work promoting computer science. Her goal is to get students interested in computer science and show them how it can apply to whatever field they may be interested in. Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar

Julie Alano works with students in a computer science class at Hamilton Southeastern High School, Thursday, August 10, 2017. She won the MIRA Tech Educator of the Year award for her work promoting computer science. Her goal is to get students interested in computer science and show them how it can apply to whatever field they may be interested in. Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar

Julie Alano works with students in a computer science class at Hamilton Southeastern High School, Thursday, August 10, 2017. She won the MIRA Tech Educator of the Year award for her work promoting computer science. Her goal is to get students interested in computer science and show them how it can apply to whatever field they may be interested in. Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar

Julie Alano works with students in a computer science class at Hamilton Southeastern High School, Thursday, August 10, 2017. She won the MIRA Tech Educator of the Year award for her work promoting computer science. Her goal is to get students interested in computer science and show them how it can apply to whatever field they may be interested in. Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar

Julie Alano checks her computer after computer science class at Hamilton Southeastern High School, Thursday, August 10, 2017. She won the MIRA Tech Educator of the Year award for her work promoting computer science. Her goal is to get students interested in computer science and show them how it can apply to whatever field they may be interested in. Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar

Julie Alano's computer has stickers about computer science class at Hamilton Southeastern High School, Thursday, August 10, 2017. She won the MIRA Tech Educator of the Year award for her work promoting computer science. Her goal is to get students interested in computer science and show them how it can apply to whatever field they may be interested in. Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar

Julie Alano works with students in a computer science class at Hamilton Southeastern High School, Thursday, August 10, 2017. She won the MIRA Tech Educator of the Year award for her work promoting computer science. Her goal is to get students interested in computer science and show them how it can apply to whatever field they may be interested in. Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar

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"I'm interested in environmental science, so I wanted to create a revolving door that's more energy efficient," said Haeli Juthani, whose team's "Revolverator" would power a generator.

The class is not just geared to students interested in computer science or programming careers. Alano said her classes are meant to show students that the ability to analyze data and think through problems is applicable in any field.

"Not all of them will become computer scientists, but they can fill tech jobs in a company, or have those skills, and won't be outsourced," she said.

Her students work on projects, such as building a game, or an app to order food. One student created an app that could calculate the best rates for a car loan, then entered the project into a finance competition.

The goals are practical, but Alano also has a personal motivation: She has seen the difference computer science and good teaching had in her own life.

"I always wanted to work with students the way teachers and coaches worked with me," she said.

She still keeps in touch with some of her former track coaches, and in turn tries to keep up with several of her own graduates who have gone on to complete computer science degrees.

That focus on being involved and having mentors has had a huge impact on her own life, she said, and it's motivated her desire to get more girls interested in the classes.

"It's definitely on the move, having girls interested in computer science," she said.

The newest AP course, added this year, helps. "It definitely gives girls a chance to see tech in a different light."

Maureen Biggers, director of the Center of Excellence for Women in Technology at Indiana University, has known Alano professionally for several years, and sees Alano as a key part of her own effort to increase the number of women studying technology.

"Women computer scientists don't come out of our K-12 systems today because they don't have that vision for themselves," Biggers said. "When women hear the word technology, they socially think they don't belong."

Stereotypes of computer scientists as men hunched in cubicles don't appeal to women, Biggers said, and the climate in some tech companies can be sexist. That means women may never realize how much knowledge of informatics and technology could benefit them in health science, education or business fields.

"Women want to do work that's meaningful and makes a difference," she said. "They don't see that reflected in the computer science classes we offer."

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that there will be more than 1 million computer-related jobs will open up by 2024, but that more than two-thirds of those jobs could go unfilled because there aren't enough college graduates with computing-related degrees.

But Biggers said the solutions to the dearth of women in tech are pretty simple, too: encourage students. Have girls take more math classes. Connect them to leading technology companies.

Those are all solutions Alano employs.

"She has a special way with the children and teaches to everyone, not just the boys."

After the class finishes, Alano is energetic in her enthusiasm as she puts cups, string, whistles and flashlights into a box and preps her lesson for the next day, about communication technology.

"Computer science can benefit anyone," she said. "It's not just for geeks or gamers, and it's not just sitting behind a computer. Having that knowledge gives you so many opportunities with technology businesses that aren't just coding."

Julie Alano

Job: Computer science teacher and chair of the Digital Age Information Technology Academy and Applied Sciences Department at Hamilton Southeastern High School.

Advice: "Just try the class!"

Have thoughts or questions? Contact Ruth Serven at ruth.serven@indystar.com. Follow her @ruthserven.